Page 42 of Forged By Fate

They all murmured their agreement, and we spent the next hour or so shooting more content while Tanvir and Tarana experimented with different versions of the thumri.

On the way home later that night, Tarana turned to me and gripped my hand hard.

“Do you really think this is going to work, Sunaina? I’m really worried it might backfire, and I don’t want the band to lose their contract because of us.”

“Trust me, babe. Viren is an astute businessman. If your collab takes off, he will sign you as the lead singer for their next album. We just have to keep our fingers crossed and find a way to make it work.”

“How is it doing?” she asked. “I’m too scared to look.”

I pulled out my phone to check the stats and stared at my screen in shock.

“Wow! It’s doing way better than I expected, Tarana. The band’s fans are going crazy over the reel. It’s racking up likes, comments and shares faster than any reel I’ve ever posted,” I whispered.

She looked excited and terrified at the same time when I dropped her off at her place, and I didn’t blame her. We had just proved her talent for everyone to see, but it also meant our moment of reckoning had arrived much faster than we’d expected.

CHAPTER 21

VIREN

Iwasn’t planning to stay up waiting for my wife to drag her delectable ass home after her work dinner. No way! That would give her the wrong message. And yet…I found myself wide awake and reading in bed when she slunk into our bedroom.

She peered around the door, and her eyes widened when she found me awake. Was she disappointed, I wondered. There had been a flash of something in her eyes when she saw me.

Before I could speak, my phone rang. I wondered who was calling me so late in the night. To my surprise, it was Sarang.

“Hey, is everything all right?” I asked worriedly.

“You fucking bastard! What the hell were you trying to prove?” he raged, and I looked at the screen in surprise.

“Sarang, you’ve called Viren,” I said sharply, wondering if he’d called the wrong person.

“I know that,” he snarled. “Who else would I call?”

“You’re not making any sense, man. Calm down and tell me why you’re upset,” I said, taking a deep breath to stay calm during this ridiculous conversation.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out? You’re one of my oldest friends, Viren. I didn’t think you would ever stab me in the back like this.”

“Sarang, you have exactly one minute to start making sense before I come there and beat the shit out of you,” I snapped.

“Ask your wife,” he said before he hung up.

I turned to Sunaina in confusion and was surprised to see her standing by the door as if turned to stone.

“What’s Sarang going on about?” I asked.

She licked her dry lips and exhaled slowly.

“Viren, I need to tell you something,” she began just as my phone pinged.

“Hold on. He just sent me a reel,” I said, absently noting her flinch at my words.

I played the reel, and I felt icy fingers of dread creeping up my spine. It was Tarana…and Tanvir. Performing together. And it was exactly what Tanvir had described to me in today’s meeting - a mix of classical and rock. It was a flawless piece, and I had no idea Tarana was such a powerful singer. But one little fact stood out starkly. Sunaina was listed as one of the collaborators in the video.

Which could only mean one thing -my wife was behind this unholy collab!

“Is this your doing?” I asked hoarsely.

She nodded slowly, and that nod hit me like a body blow of betrayal.

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